Jesus was born in Bethlehem

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: (Matthew 2:1-5 ESV)

Last April I visited Bethlehem hoping to see the refurbished Church of the Nativity, but the work was still in progress. However, I did see something new. In the courtyard of St. Catherine’s church, near the statue of Jerome, there was a very nice nativity display that I wish to share with our readers.

Nativity display in the courtyard of St. Catherine’s church in Bethlehem. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

You may recall that Jerome lived in Bethlehem from about 384 A.D. to 420 A.D. He is best known for translating the ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts into what would be called the Latin Vulgate. Our earliest (chronologically) English versions were translated from the Latin rather than from the Greek and Hebrew.

In the past couple of weeks there has been an uptick of interest in previous articles I have written about the birth of Jesus, Bethlehem, and Christmas.

We have compiled an Index of articles dealing with these subject here. Perhaps you will find both the articles and the photographs helpful in your study and teaching.